Tuesday, December 30, 2008

New blog set up - seriously dislike the template and will be looking for alternative. I definitely want 3 columns.

Spun up the 60's batt last night. I have a 236 yard single and will be prepping to do a core spin. I want to wind off about 100 yards of core yarn and put it on a bottom whorl spindle to try and prevent kinking during the spin.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

. . . till the next one. I'm definitely going to start shopping super early - like right after the new year. Many businesses are going under and while I feel quite badly for them all I have to take advantage of their sales and clearances.

What I would like to do is start a hope chest for my daughter. I have my mother's Lane cedar chest that was given to her on her wedding day by my father, way back in 1957. It had a blond finish, but my hubby has sanded that away and we'll refinish it with a darker stain and protective coating of urethane, or something. I'm going to try (AGAIN!) to get my mother and father's china from the asshole that my mother married in 1986. . . my mother passed away in 2005 and I've had no luck in getting the beautiful china that was promised to me. I would love to add this to Andrea's hope chest.

Anyway - I figure I'll shop for towels and sheets, kitchen items, spices (maybe wait on those, not sure yet), candles, and basic stuff that she probably wouldn't think of herself. Since I have the chest here in the living room, now full of yarn, I'll empty it out and as I purchase stuff I'll stash it right in the chest. She'll never know it's there and it'll be a great surprise when she gets her own place. That may not be for several more years yet but I'll continue to add to it until the day arrives. :-)

As for Christmas 2008 - Drea got her new computer and totally didn't expect it. I had thought otherwise. She was so surprised and so very happy; especially considering that it's a monster! 2.2 gig processor, 4 gigs of RAM. We didn't get her a monitor, but will be doing so when tax money comes in. I found a 22" re-furb Dell flat screen that will be perfect with the rest of the system. We also got her the TV thing for her Zune and the Zune auto audio kit for the cars. She had been saying she wanted one of those silly Tamigachi (sp?) things that she had as a much younger child and I found one. The things that thrill an 18 year old! LOL Amazing. We got a few small items for her boyfriend and she said that he appreciated them very much. Just hats and a nice pair of gloves (store bought), and it seems he's a lot like DH - loses gloves often, so these came in handy. If she's still with him next Xmas he'll do much better from us. The last BF was a disaster and we're glad that we didn't go 'all out' for gifts for him last Xmas.

My new electrical cable/cord came in for my laptop on the 24th. Whew!! It's good to be able to use the computer when I want to and not have to do things super quick to be sure the battery wouldn't run out on me.

Went to MIL's today and right after dinner was over and we were all sitting there chatting a headache hit me like I had been stoned. It felt like a hot vibrating wire had pierced my brain. Andrea brought me down the mountain to our home and I changed and immediately went to bed, nice dark, cool room and took my two girls (Luna & Roo) with me. Slept from 3:30 or thereabouts until 9:45 tonight. I've been up since, headache is gone, thank goodness. DH has to get up at 3:30 AM to go to work and help to get the plant back up and running until they shut down again on Tuesday for New Years Eve & Day. I'll get coffee ready for him before he's up so he can get out of here relatively quickly. He has to be in by 5 AM.

Working on the mitts mentioned in an earlier post. I'm almost up to the bind off for the thumb on the first one. Nice to do some mindless knitting and watch some older TV with the dogs snoozing on the sofa with me. Poor Jackie -our one eyed, damaged Boston, is plastered right up against my leg, snoring very softly. This dog sometimes breaks my heart with all of his scars, missing eye and neurosis. We love him so very much and feel fortunate that we were selected and able to take him in when no one else wanted him.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

DH and I are heading out in a bit to do some last minute shopping. Just a few things for Drea, a gift card for MIL, and some goodies for the dogs. I want to film the dogs opening their packages tomorrow. I know that Caesar will have a blast!!

Waiting on hubby to get back from MIL's for a report on road conditions. Got up to ice this morning. Air temperature is rising, though, so hopefully driving will be no problem.

Have to head to MIL's this afternoon to get Christmas dinner preparations finalized, then we'll call China King in Narrowsburg and get some good stuff for dinner. Hard to believe that we managed to find such an excellent source for Chinese food way up here in the boonies. General Tao's shrimp? Yep! Chicken w/curry sauce, lo-mein, rangoons, dim sum, teriaki beef and who knows what else. Might have to make this food a Christmas eve ritual since we all love it so much.

OK - I'm going to get up and get my ass in motion so I can get stuff done.

PS::: Also expecting two deliveries today - there will be one still out there that just won't make it in time for Xmas. Nothing major - just DD's requested perfume, Red Door Revealed.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Finished the blending of South African fine with raw bamboo, spun it up to a lace weight and started the knitting this evening. Love the feel of this yarn; it's so soft and silky. This project is special to me in that I've worked it from scratch with the exception of using raw fleece and having to go through the washing/scouring process.

Head ache, joint aches, fatigue -- pain in my ass, too! Heading into another toxic cloud with this liver issue. Need to drink lots of fluids and concentrate on foods that are easily digested . . . might be time to do a detox but I'm not sure it's advisable with the medications I'm forced to take to get through each and every day. F*ck it! I'll get through this just as I have many times before. I just hate feeling shitty.

So - I want to spin. Again. More! I've got so much darn wool in so many colors all around me that its difficult to even know where to begin. My arms are sore from hand carding so blending is out. I do have a ton of roving and some recently purchased and swapped batts to play with so maybe, just maybe, I'll pull out Steph's 70's style batt or Jazzy's Mom's Fruit Tarts batt and spin those up. Only thing with those - they SCREAM to be spun as art yarn.

DH due home soon and he's off until Friday. Have to have him run across the road when he gets in to take a package to the guys at #18 that was mistakenly delivered here. Delivery guys just couldn't see OUR name or the number 19 on our mailbox, I guess. Odd - it was a Budget Rental van that made the delivery.

Hot tea and sinus meds in order. Catch the local news cast and I should then be ready to use my wheel with the new flyer set-up I put together yesterday.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Limited use of my laptop is necessary right now since the electrical cord went bad on me. DH took it apart and one of the wires was so bent that it had broken apart. I'm running on 1/4 of a charged battery right now. The new cord was shipped from Indianapolis today via priority mail. Hoping to see it here tomorrow but that's truly doubtful. Maybe by Xmas Eve? Hopefully!

Using the hand cards to work tons of wool that I've had laying around forever - dyed crimpies & locks, all kinds of colors. Romney, coopworth, polworth, border leicester and moree. I love using the hand cards - amazing!

Holiday knitting done.

My poor MIL tried to help out on Saturday by going outside (after being told NOT to do so by BIL & DH) to clean the snow off of her back steps. She fell - how she managed to get up and back into the house is a mystery and must have caused her so much pain - and shattered her humerus. No surgery because of her age (almost 83) and they put a huge cast on her ... she's so tiny to begin with (under 5') and I feel so awful for her. We always have Xmas dinner at her house and her cooking abilities are severely limited now so DH, DD, and I will head up the hill to her house on Wednesday to do her portion of the cooking. Sweet potatoes, corn & pepper casserole, cucumber & tomato salad, and I'll be baking the 'drunken cake' (saturated rum cake) here at home. I hope that I can get it to come out as good as hers always do. This is the only time of year and method of delivery that I have alcohol! LOL

Friday, December 19, 2008

It's 10:36am and the snow is just starting to fall here on the NY PA border. Seems chilly in the house so I think I'll turn up the blower on the pellet stove. Once the snow starts to fall really heavy as predicted I'll probably get into the mood to bake something. Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies? Banana bread? Hmmm . . .

Two Etsy orders to ship. I hope we can get down the hill to the post office!!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Potholders complete. Getting ready to cast on the BF's hat. Just need to finish upper third of Porthos, seam and put in the neck stuff. Then . . . 3 pair of gloves and I'm done! Since I have 7 days ... maybe I'll get the wheel spinning this afternoon! ;-)

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Must set priorities TODAY! I want to spin, I mean . . . really want to spin, but I seriously have to get some knitting done in time for Xmas. Abby's Porthos - back, sleeves - done. Front cast on, 2" complete. MIL's pot holders - 1 done, 1 cast on, still another to make a set of three. Those are priority #1 (potholders). Must make a cap & fingerless gloves for DD's boyfriend. Abby's sister's top - cast on, 8 rows worked in the round. Need to work BIL&SIL's gloves - not even started yet.I guess, overall, that's not a whole lot of knitting -

All of the above means that no spinning or carding for me until the knitting is finished. See, this makes the knitting seem like a major chore and I need to get out of that frame of mind and just get it done!